Previous G-banded karyotype analyses have detected clonal chromosome abnormalities in 40-100% of B-CLL patients studied after appropriate in-vitro stimulation with polyclonal B-cell mitogens. It is currently unknown whether the wide variations in frequencies of abnormalities reported in different series are due to true differences in disease characteristics or merely to in-vitro culture conditions. Common recurring chromosomal abnormalities include trisomy 12, rearrangements of 14q32, translocations or deletions of 13q, deletions of 6q, and deletions of 11q. Recent studies have shown increased detection of trisomy 12, 13q deletions and 11q deletions with interphase fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH) techniques, suggesting these changes do indeed occur early in the course of the disease. Data regarding the clinical and prognostic significance of karyotype in B-CLL are limited, and in some instances are conflicting. Nevertheless, preliminary clinical studies suggest certain karyotypic abnormalities are associated with specific clinicopathologic subsets of B-CLL. To address the questions of timing of karyotypic changes in the course of B-CLL, and the possible specificity and significance of these changes, we are conducting prospective serial studies of patients with B-CLL referred to the NCI for evaluation and possible treatment. The cytogenetics specific aims of this project are: to determine the optimal culture conditions for obtaining karyotypically abnormal mitotic cells from peripheral blood of patients with CLL, to determine whether or not interphase FISH detects clonally abnormal cells missed by G-banded metaphase analysis, to determine whether or not comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) will detect gains or losses of chromosomal material not found by metaphase or FISH analyses, to correlate cytogenetics results with clinical, morphologic and immunophenotypic features of the disease, and to correlate karyotype with cDNA microarray analysis of gene expression. Preliminary data from 22 patients entered on-study reveal clonal chromosome abnormalities in eight patients (36%) using G-banded metaphase analysis, and suggest superiority of phorbol myristate acetate as a mitogen for the leukemic cells. Interphase FISH has confirmed or expanded the G-band findings in patients with abnormal clones, and has detected abnormalities in five of five patients tested to date who were "normal" by G-banding. Over the past six months, we have successfully brought up and quality-controlled comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) technology, and are now applying this technology to our studies of B-CLL. We have also acquired a spectral karyotyping (SKY) system, and will use this over the coming year to further characterize complex abnormalities or rule out cryptic rearrangements in selected B-CLL patients. This project, which has the potential to yield new information regarding clinical cytogenetics diagnostic techniques, and to demonstrate new clinicopathologic subsets of B-CLL patients, is ongoing.